Dysfunctional Leadership
Hire an interim executive. If the executive has been removed and no internal promotion is made, someone has to be called into act as an executive. One of the biggest mistakes boards make is in a having a board member come in and act as an interim executive. This usually doesn’t work because board members rarely have experience functioning as nonprofit executives and thus don't have the competencies and skills needed to do the job. Also, board members tend to have strong emotional reasons for serving on a board which can hinder objectivity. Hiring an interim provides an organization with a seasoned executive for a period of time in which the organization’s collective breath can be caught, and a comprehensive assessment of the competencies needed to fill the permanent position can be conducted without harm in delay of a permanent hire.